West Bank Palestinian Higher Education System and Study Abroad in U.S.

The Palestinian higher education system has one of the highest per capita rates of university graduates in the Arab world.  There are thirteen universities, nine university colleges, eleven community colleges, and one open university in the West Bank.  In 2023, newly enrolled students in undergraduate and graduate studies reached over 36,000 students.  During the same year, 32,263 students graduated from Palestinian higher education institutions.  Palestinian undergraduate students selected a wide range of specializations, but the highest demand was for Business Administration and Law, Information and Communication Technology, and Arts and Humanities. Graduate students’ preferences were in Business Administration and Law, Health and Welfare, and Education.  

In 2023, more than 11,000 Palestinian students in the West Bank requested information on studying in the U.S. through Education USA; a program funded by the U.S. Government and located at Amideast; and a U.S. non-profit organization engaged in international education, training, and development activities in the Middle East.  

According to a report published by Open Doors, 466 Palestinian students enrolled in U.S. universities in 2023.  Most of Palestinian undergraduate students pay their own way for their study in the United States.  However, several undergraduate and graduate scholarship programs are available to Palestinians.  They include: (1) the Hope Fund program that supports scholarship and exchange opportunities for Palestinian youth who seek undergraduate studies in the United States, or at U.S.-style institutions in the Middle East and North Africa region, and (2) the Fulbright Foreign Student Program that provides full funding for two academic years to complete a master’s degree program at a university in the United States.

There is a good opportunity for U.S. universities, colleges and other educational organizations to capture a large part of the Palestinian higher education market.  The opportunity is greatest in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem where there are many private schools that graduate students with high English proficiency.

For more information on the Palestinian higher education sector, please contact Senior Commercial Specialist Assad Barsoum directly at Assad.Barsoum@trade.gov, or visit the U.S. Commercial Service West Bank website.